Course Challenges

Although I've been working with Willie on some NADAC courses, I really wasn't planning to do a whole lot of NADAC trialing. However, we went to a NADAC trial this weekend, and I was very surprised to see some pretty challenging courses.

For example, here is the Elite Chances course from today. The tunnel/AF discrimination took its usual toll, but the really tricky part of this course is directing your dog from 7 to 8. While running the 4-7 loop, the dog is on his right lead.  If the handler goes beyond the plane of 7 in order to support 5 and 6, then her return path will cause her dog to switch leads at 7 and turn toward the #4 hoop.

Two or three teams were successful with this path in Elite and Open, but with one exception, it wasn't pretty.

A smoother, less stressful way to get your dog from 7 to 8 is to take a deep breath and not rush toward the line.  Pace yourself so that you keep moving toward 5 without coming up against the line.  Then support your dog's line to 6 from the "x" or from not more than a couple of feet to the east of it.  This will either leave you in a perfect position to pressure your dog's line from 7 to 8 or allow you the chance to step back to "x" without cuing a lead change.

Chances Analysis - 03/09/2013

It's been quite a while since I put together a Chances analysis video.  Last Saturday, we had a pretty straightforward Chances course, and I videoed several people running in Elite.  (Sorry no video from Open and Novice because I was scribing for those two classes.)

The most difficult part of this course was the left turn at hoop #5.  Although
Belle and I did Q, she was clearly confused about which way to go after #5.  I watched the video in slow-motion a bunch of times times, and really couldn't see why Belle was confused.

However, when I started putting together this video analysis, it dawned on me I was too far to the right.  My physical turning cues were well-timed, but since I didn't give a verbal "switch" command, my position on the course made Belle hesitate--after all she doesn't have eyes in the back of her head.  Luckily, I was far enough back from the line that I could move forward to indicate Belle's path to #6.

Here's the video.  If you spot anything I missed be sure to leave a comment.
 

I Remember

Usually I forget a course within hours of running it.  This one, which we encountered nearly a year ago, is an exception.  I can still see Belle coming out of the #6 tunnel at warp speed and taking the off-course jump.

I set up this course this morning to have a go at it with Dusty.  Much to my surprise, he nailed it.  Unfortunately, he lost concentration in the weaves and skipped a pole.  But he got the hard stuff!

I also tried running Belle from an imaginary bonus line.  Once again, she took the off-course jump due to my poor choice of position.  Guess I'll have to design a short sequence to work on that skill.

 

Chances Practice

Since Dusty needs 9 Chances Q's for a NATCH, I decided I will try to put up one or two Chances courses a week to work on the skills he needs to develop.  I thought this course would offer several different options for running, plus it included an A-frame for Belle to practice on. Although this course is from a trial in April, I apparently never analyzed it, so I am including a brief analysis.

The first challenge is the tunnel/A-frame discrimination which is complicated by the #7 jump in Elite.  I chose to lead out to about (50,50), and encountered no problem with either Belle (at trial) or Dusty (at home).  However, woe to any handler that doesn't at least lead out laterally to about the 55' line because the line will force you left and you will pull your dog to the A-frame.

In Open, it was easy for the handler to get sucked into the space between the #7 jump and the line.  However, if you look closely, you will see that unless the handler manages her own path very carefully, she will be forced to move away from the A-frame before her dog is in the tunnel.  In Novice, the handler can run between the #7 jump and the line and not get pushed left by the line.

The other area of concern is the #10 hoop.  When I ran this at trial, I played it safe and did a front cross after the #8 jump.  At home, I wanted to do a rear cross with Dusty, and it didn't work very well.  Out of eleven tries, Dusty took the off-course tunnel six times, did a 180 four times, and took the #10 hoop twice.  I watched all of the video footage I shot this morning over and over, and for the most part, I thought my handling was pretty good.  Except for the nasty habit I have of fading in the opposite direction before moving into a rear cross.  With Belle, I can get away with it.  With Dusty, not so much since he watches my every little move with such intensity.  My hunch is that this bad habit is what is preventing Dusty from getting from #9 to #10.  If you see something I missed when you watch the video, please, please let me know.

Here's Dusty:

 

Here's Belle and me trying it with bonus line distance.  Notice how nice her running A-frame is with the bumper in place.

Chances - 06/30/2012

Last weekend Dusty and I went to the QCDC for a NADAC trial.  (Belle and I have been fighting a minor lameness issue for several months, and I decided I would not let her jump or do contact equipment for a month.  I also bought carpal splints for her, and I make sure to put them on when we go out and practice distance work with the hoops.)  I was really pleased with how well Dusty and I did together.

Saturday's Elite Chances course was fairly easy Chances course, and I thought we had an excellent chance of nailing it.  For the dog that weaves slowly, getting to #4 could be a challenge.  However, the course is really pretty straightforward until the dog exits the tunnel.  If the handler is standing still when her dog exits, he will be drawn over #5.  If the handler is moving too quickly left, she may end up sending her dog to the weaves.

Most of the Elite handlers chose to finish the course with their dog on their right side.  However, because of the nearness of the weaves and the slight curve of the 9-11 path, I decided to do a front cross at 9 and run with Dusty on my left to close.  Unfortunately, although I felt my front cross signals were timely (and you can judge that for yourself in the video), I still failed to bring Dusty into handler focus, and he carried out all the way to the weaves before turning.

 

On the Open course, if the handler hugs the line in the opening, she will be forced away from the weaves at a much sharper angle than in Elite.  Moral of the story:  The line is not your friend.  Additionally, hugging the line after your dog enters the tunnel, means you can't move left without also moving back from the #8 jump. Once again, the line is not where you should be--it merely marks the territory into which you may not venture and still Q.




 
The weaves are no longer an issue on the Novice course.  However, the closer the handler is to the line when her dog exits the weave, the less room she has to support him out to #4.  Notice that now the line more or less parallels the dogs path from the tunnel to #8.  However, if the handler is on top of the line and her dog drifts toward her, she has no way to move OUT toward #8 if she is already on the line.

 

Chances Analysis - 04/22/2012

Here are the Chances course maps from Sunday's trial at the QCDC:

The first challenge is very similar to one that we faced last month, namely, getting from the #3 tunnel to the #4 jump.  The A-frame makes it a slightly more difficult challenge because if the handler is behind the plane of the red line, the dog won't be able to see him upon exiting the tunnel.

The #9 tunnel looks like it might be an attractive off-course option after the #4 jump, but very few dogs chose it.  A much, much bigger problem was getting the dog to carry out to #4, and despite the decrease in distance from the line, the problem just got worse in Open and Novice.  

Basically, a dog will exit the tunnel and take #4 only if the handler is still pushing* forward physically and/or verbally as the dog enters the tunnel.  Unfortunately, many of the Open and Novice handlers either slowed down too much or ran up against the line before their dog was in the tunnel.

*Pushing is a relative term in this situation.  A BC high on adrenaline won't require much pushing from his handler compared to a dog that isn't really very enthused about the game to start with.  Neither will an experienced distance dog require much visible "push" from his handler, but if that "push" is not there, the dog will correctly check in with his handler upon exiting the tunnel.

The second challenge is setting a good line from the exit of tunnel #7 to the entrance of tunnel #9.  Let's analyze the Elite course first.  The tighter the dog turns out of the #7 tunnel, the more likely he is to slice #7 from left to right a shallow angle.  But even more importantly, if the you're only a foot away from the line when your dog exits the #7 tunnel, chances are you will end up against the line as your dog commits to #8 (if not before) and have nowhere to go but sideways.  Unfortunately, handler moving sideways if the cue most of us use for a serpentine.  (The first run on the video demonstrates my point quite well.)

Now take a look at the Open and Novice course maps.  The change in the distance line makes sending to jump #7 quite a bit easier.  However, woe to you if end up against the line--ESPECIALLY in Novice!  You can no longer simply move sideways; the line also forces you to move away from the tunnel you are trying to convince your dog to take.  In Novice, the line is plain old nasty.  It's so close to your goal, but if you're up against it, you are really stuck unless your dog will commit to the tunnel on a verbal alone.

The final challenge is the A-frame/tunnel discrimination. The handler can use any number of options to draw her dog to the A-frame, including an RFP, running backwards, lateral distance from the A-frame, just calling the dog's name and then releasing to A-frame when its in his line of sight.  The important thing to remember is that if you are facing the side wall the, your dog will take the tunnel.

Q Results

Elite - 7Qs/19 runs

Open - 2 Qs/10 runs

Novice - 0 Qs/16 runs

Chances Analysis - Tunnel Vision

"Tunnel vision" as defined in the online World English Dictionary:

1. a condition in which peripheral vision is greatly restricted
2. narrowness of viewpoint resulting from concentration on a single idea, opinion, etc, to the exclusion of others

Although the Q rate in Elite and Open on this Chances course was close to 50%, Belle and I were not among those teams who Q'ed because we feel victim to tunnel vision.  There are two meanings of the term "tunnel vision," and our run fell victim to both.

The tunnel in the upper left corner is about 35' away from the exit of the first tunnel, and it never occurred to me that it was a viable off-course.  I was focused on the turn to the #3 hoop, and I really thought was it was a given since I practically lead out to it.  I felt really bad for blaming Belle for failing to see the obvious, when it was I who had failed to see.  Thanks to Cynthia Ernat for pointing out to me how well the corner tunnel lined up with the start line.

Normally, I would have called Belle as she exited the tunnel. (I know, I know, I should actually call her when she's in the tunnel, but my reflexes suck.)  However, in light of how many verbal mistakes I made yesterday, I had resolved to use as few verbals as possible today.  This, unfortunately, was a spot that screamed for a verbal cue. 

As the dog sits at the start line waiting to be released, if he is looking straight ahead, he sees is the tunnel in the corner looming large and invitingly--especially since today, Chances followed Tunnelers.  Even for those dogs with no start line stay, the vision from within the first tunnel was most certainly "tunnel vision."

The other two "traps" on this course were obvious:  the dog has to turn from jump #6 to hoop #7, and then there is a dog walk/tunnel discrimination.  Unlike the problems we all encountered yesterday getting our dogs to carry out to a hoop after the tunnel, most of the dogs came out of the tunnel and took the jump.  Unfortunately, a fair number of them continued on to the off-course tunnel.  (This turn away from the tunnel was also tested on both Regular courses, so you had a chance to redeem yourself.)

When we were walking the course, I happened to overhear Cynthia Ernat discussing handling the line from #5 to #6:  Instead of turning the dog immediately as he exits the tunnel, it would be better to let him run out ten feet or more before turning indicating the turn.  Turning sharply to #6 puts the dog on a path to the off-course tunnel.  Allowing your dog to run out from the tunnel first, results in him heading more toward the #7 hoop as he takes the jump.

Chance Statistics

 Elite 7 Q's/18 runs

Open 4 Q's/9 runs

Novice 1 Q/13 runs

Chances Analysis - 03/10/2012

We ran this Chances course on Saturday at the QCDC trial.

 When I walked this course, I thought the hardest thing for Belle and me would be to turn from the #5 hoop to the #6 jump.  I felt she would build up so much momentum that the A-frame would be a very viable off-course.  The only other difficulty I foresaw was driving forward from the A-frame to hoop #10 for those dogs who had a stopped contact.


Oh, well, guess I won't be accepting a job as a course analyst any time soon.  The #1 challenge proved to be getting your dog to the #5 hoop.  By and large, at all levels, the dog came out of the tunnel looking for his handler and never made it to #5.


For those dogs that made it to #5 (whether on the first effort or the second), the next problem became turning from #7 to #8.  For the unwary handler, which was many of us, our handling path took our partner directly to the off-course tunnel.

Q Statistics

Elite 1 Q/17runs

Open 1 Q/12 runs

Novice 0 Q/15

Chances - 03/08/2012

The winds have abated somewhat, so I was able to set up a Chances course in preparation for this weekend's NADAC trial.

The hardest part of this course is getting to the #7 jump.  On my first attempt with Dusty, I ended up against the back line after completing the serpentine, and was unable to move in the direction of #7 when he exited the tunnel.  The second time, I made sure I had the room to move.  Unfortunately, I failed to plan for handler movement toward the tunnel after #9.  However, to my surprise, Dusty continued on to the tunnel with verbal urging and a couple of arm pushes.

Since this course included a couple of bonus lines, I gave it a whirl with Belle.  I was expecting the turn from #3 to #4 to be difficult, and it was.  I didn't think #7 would be that much of a problem since I certainly had room to push forward.  However, sometimes timing is everything, and I was dismayed to see how late I was in my send to #7 with both dogs.


One last thing to look for in the video.  When Belle and I finally make it through the whole run successfully, notice that I am bending forward as she finishes the dog walk.  At the time, I wondered why she failed to stop.  However, now I know.  The best way to reinforce a stopped contact is to stand up straight.  Bending forward is an acceleration cue.  That's why sometimes it works when you run out of running room in Chances or Gamblers.

Chances Analysis - 11/20/11

Belle, Dusty and I went to a NADAC trial last weekend hosted by 4RK9s in Davenport, IA.  I had a chance to tape the Chances runs on Sunday.

 

 There are four main challenges on this Chances course.  

1.  The send to the tunnel under the dogwalk.

This task can be made somewhat easier by angling your dog toward the tunnel at the start line.  Something I forgot to mention until near the end of the video.

2.  The send to the tunnel in the upper right corner.
 
When you watch the video, notice the great variation in commitment points to the two tunnels.  Dogs that commit early allow their handlers to move much sooner toward the next challenge than those who require support until they are almost in the tunnel.

3.  Sending your dog over jump #7.

Notice that on the Elite course map, the distance line running from the right edge of the course to jump #4 echoes the path the handler can take to support the dog's line to jump #7 and hoop #8.  This is not true of the Open and Novice courses.  If the handler follows the line on either of those courses, he is very likely going to draw his dog away from #7.

4.  Sending your dog out to hoop #8 and bringing him back through hoop #9.

On the Novice course in particular, if the handler is on the line, there is no way for him to move toward the #8 hoop.

Here's the video with my commentary.  I hope you find it helpful.

Another Chances Course

I set up this Chances course on Monday using only hoops, and I set up an arbitrary bonus line at 40' for my runs with Belle.

I had problems directing Belle through the turns and switches from a distance on Monday, but today, we pretty much sailed through the course.  Dusty was another matter.  We had a lot of trouble with the turns and switches yesterday, and after some work, we finally it together today except for the tunnel discrimination.  The really weird thing is that we had no problem with that on Monday.  Here's the video with commentary:

Another Chances Course

I set up another Chances course today.  We ran this one in late February at the QCDC.  Here's the course map:

I didn't look for the video from February's trial until after I ran this course with Dusty and Belle today.  Although you can't tell from the camera angle, the two tunnels at #2 are only about 12 inches apart.  At February's trial, the tunnels were about 30" inches apart and the hoop at #1 (which was a jump at the trial) was pretty much in line with the correct tunnel.

I began with Dusty since I was planning to try from the 15-point bonus line with Belle.  This course contains more challenges than yesterday's course.  Right off the bat, there is the tunnel discrimination.  Then from the tunnel, the dog has to turn to the #3 hoop which is not visible until the dog has exited the tunnel.  Leading out to about (50,-5) gives the handler enough room to push toward the correct tunnel at #2 and ability to see the dog exit the tunnel and call him to the #3 hoop.

Next you have to be able to turn your dog away from you into the tunnel under the A-frame.  Then you have to turn him away from you again from 7 to 8.  Additionally, to be successful, your dog has to have an independent A-frame and independent weaves.

I really felt the tunnel discrimination was the easiest challenge.  However, it turned out to be quite difficult for Dusty.  He took the closer tunnel or he went to the outside of both tunnels much more often than he took the correct tunnel.  What I should have done was break off my efforts and set up a separate exercise just for him, which is what I will be doing over the next couple of days.  Here are a couple of different ideas for set-ups to use for working on "out."

-------------------------------------------------------

Working from behind the 15-point bonus line, the biggest difficulty Belle and I encountered was getting to the #3 hoop.   From behind the 15-point bonus line, there is no place the handler can stand to have a clear line of sight to the tunnel exit.  The handler has to rely solely upon a verbal cue to get her dog to #3.  I think some of the missteps that Belle took at other spots on the course were due to my use of the word "switch" instead of "turn."  I have always used "turn," but I thought I could change over to "switch" without much fuss.  It worked yesterday, but it didn't work as well today.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

A nice thing about this Chances course is that it lends itself easily to alternative sequences.  For example:

Chances Practice

Belle and I are back from Champs.  As soon as I receive the DVD of our runs from Three Pines, I will post about Champs.

 

I entered Dusty in a trial in mid-November, so I decided to start putting up some Chances courses for us to practice.  The one I picked for today also had 15 and 20-point bonus lines to practice with Belle.



There are four challenges on the Elite course.  First, the dog has to be able to perform the weaves with his handler approximately 12 feet away.  Next is the 180 degree turn from 7 to 8.  Third is the push from 10 to 11.  Finally, for those of us not able to keep up to our dogs, the dog has to be able to finish up the course while his handler is falling further behind.

 
In the Open version of this Chances course, the first challenge is removed, but the others remain.


As you will see in the video, I prefer to lead out on the right side of the #2 tunnel because it puts me in a position to see my dogs exit the tunnel under the A-frame.  I did one run with Dusty in which I lead out to the left of the tunnel, and he took the weaves with ease.  However, I think he was able to do so because he knew the course by the time I tried leading out to the left of the tunnel.

Be able to perform the weaves without the handler being close by is a skill that has to be taught.  And as Dusty's little meltdowns show, once it is taught, it must be practiced from time to time.

The 180 degree turn from 7 to 8 depends upon the training the dog to turn away from you after he has started toward you.  It also calls for fairly good timing on the handler's part, especially if you substitute jumps for the two hoops.

The push from 10 to 11 is most easily accomplished if the handler backs away from the line while his dog is in the tunnel so that he has room to push on the dog's line from 10 to 11.

If you fall behind your dog on the last two hoops, you have to have a verbal to indicate he is to go on without you.  FWIW, I have a theory that over-using a verbal will cause some dogs to turn back toward their handler or pull them off-course.  Think of it this way, the dog is on course and his handler is in back of him cheering him on with "Go! Go! Go!"  Since he was going toward the last object and you are still yelling, maybe you really want him to do something else.

Chances Analysis - 07/31/11

Sunday, Belle and I went to Davenport for Ready, Steady, Go's NADAC trial.  I was a lot more mobile than I was at last month's trial and Belle's times were quite a bit better.  I was particularly pleased that Belle did no stress scratching at the start line as I lead out.  She was focused on Mom and the course.  Here is video of four of our five runs:

Here's my analysis of Elite and Open Chances in a video format:

Chances Analysis

Here is the Chances course from Saturday's trial with the handler lines for all three levels shown:

 

For Elite and Open, the most difficult challenge is getting the dog into the #7 tunnel.  Unfortunately, the majority of the handlers were almost to the line or actually at it as their dog was turning from #4 to #5.  This meant that the only way they could move toward the path from #6 to the tunnel without crossing the line was by moving southeast.  The obvious line is 5-6-7.  However, moving south pulls the dog off that line and right to the A-frame.  If you look at the video of Belle and me, you will see that I step away from the line as she is going through #5.  Either she was oblivious to that step back or else my subsequent push toward the line more than compensated for it.  (I was concerned about the possibility of an off-course from #4 to #9, so I was closer to the line than I should have been.  Having made that error, I then compounded it by moving too quickly to support Belle's path from #4 to #5--I should have taken smaller steps.)

The other challenge was the weave pole entry.  It is an off-side entry and most of the dogs were moving at a goodly clip.  It was really impressive to see how well some of them made their entry after over-shooting the plane of the weave poles by three feet or more.

For the Novice class, the A-frame proved to be a very attractive off-course in the opening, with perhaps as many as half the dogs taking it.  (I don't know for sure, but I don't think a single Open or Elite dog went 1, 2, A-frame.)  I think the basic problem was that many of the handlers chose to lead out on the dog's right (not an option in Open or Elite).  Part of their decision was probably prompted by the idea they would be better able to keep their dog off the A-frame.  Another factor that influenced their choice was it removed the necessity to rear cross between #4 and #5 (or as at least a couple of handlers did, front cross at that point). Unfortunately, being on the dog's right after he takes the #4 puts the handler too close to the handling line for the tunnel/A-frame discrimination, and as a result, the percentage of dogs choosing the A-frame over the tunnel was quite high.

From a Distance or 15-point Chances Practice - Part 2

 

Now, what happens to the usual challenges when you try to stay behind the 15-point bonus line?  Well, I already knew that the #10 tunnel becomes an extremely attractive off-course after #4.  First of all, I was late with the verbal.  Second, I tried both a shoulder pull and facing Belle and pulling (sometimes to the point of an RFP), but I neglected to actually move toward the bottom of the course while doing so.  When you are standing close to the 50-foot line, you are at least as big a draw for your dog as the #10 tunnel.  When you're below the 15-foot line, your animal magnetism is considerably diminished :(

Additionally, because the distance is so great, it hard to provide a deceleration cue to Belle as she entered the straight tunnel.  She comes blasting out in full extension.  My signals to turn over #4 were almost all late; a) because she was moving so quickly, and b) I didn't want her turning before she took #4.  As you will see in the video, this means she is pretty much beyond the left upright of jump #5 before she completes her turn to it even on the best of our attempts.

Once I actually got Belle through the first six obstacles, I got the shock of my life.  She didn't go into the tunnel under the dogwalk!!!  I got all sorts of variations on the theme you see in the video.  I never did figure out exactly what was going on with this.  Maybe in a month or two, I'll realize what I was doing wrong.  [10/26/11.  By reviewing the video in slow motion several times, I was able to finally figure out that I was late in indicating the turn to the tunnel on our unsuccessful efforts.  Body and motion cues for the tunnel must be given as Belle takes off over the #6 jump.  Once she has landed, it is too late!  The only way that I can see at this point to create some collection over #4 would be to use a quiet "easy over" as Belle exits the tunnel.  This is something we'd have to work on.]

I was late a few times on the 8-10 sequence, but Belle was cranking.  I was really surprised to see I used the on-side arm to indicate the push to the #10 tunnel.  I would have thought I would have gone for the off-side arm.  But when it came to doing it in real time, there just wasn't time enough for me to switch arms.

________________________

Lessons I learned from this one.

1.  I really thought the shoulder pull would be the way to handle #4 to #5.  However, for me it was better to face Belle and move backwards, doing an RFP if need be.  This meant I had my eye on her at all times and I could move more quickly to where I had to be next.

2.  Even without intervening layers of obstacles, distance changes the challenges.

3.  If I find myself shrieking "Belle," it is because I am late, late, late.

15-Point Chances Practice - Part I

I set up this Chances Course during the week so I could work on handling it from the 15-bonus line.

 

Belle and I ran this course on January 2nd at the QCDC trial.  (There was an A-frame next to the tunnel which I didn't include on my practice course.)  I believe it was the first time I attempted the bonus line on a Chances course.  I really thought this course would be relatively easy, but Belle went like a rocket from #4 to the off-course #10 tunnel and finished with the dogwalk.

I really didn't see that off-course coming, but when I watched the video, I noticed I faced Belle and called, but failed to move back or attempt a shoulder pull.  Okay, so my thinking is this goes to the heart of my need to train myself to not stop moving.  However, after working with Belle on this course for several days, I discovered that was not to be my only problem with this course.

Since for most of us, Chances is the hardest class to qualify in, I decided to outline all of the challenges I spotted on this course.

1.  On the original course there was the A-frame/tunnel discrimination at #3.  This really was a non-issue given how the course is set up.

2.  Getting the dog to #4.

3.  Turning the dog from #4 to #5.

4.  The #8-#10 sequence.

Given that you aren't attempting this from the 15-point line, the biggest challenges are the second and fourth ones.  If you outrun the dog when he is in the tunnel, sending him on to #4 is going to be a tough sell.  In order to turn your dog right over #9, it is best to remain at least two or three feet from the line so you can move in enough to indicate the turn to the tunnel.

In the video below, David had no problem getting Dusty to #4.  However, it proved to be a major sticking point for Dusty and me while working on this in the yard.  It was also a major sticking point for Libby, who has much less experience than Dusty and Belle with Chances.

Here is the video of David and Dusty's qualifying run.

Video Response to an Agility Nerd Video

Steve Schwarz, a/k/a The Agility Nerd, is a tremendous resource to those of us who train on our own.  He blogs at least once a week about a course he has either run or created, and he provides video.  The video I posted here of Belle and me is in response to a video Steve made from his January 11, 2011 class with Dana Pike Chamberlain.  The course map and details on how Steve ran the course, they are available on his blog.

I am definitely not as fleet a foot as Steve, so my handling depended upon being able to send Belle while I moved in to position for the tricky threadles.  I thought we did a pretty good job of them.  I was truly amazed that Belle realized which tunnel I wanted her to take after jump #10.  I didn't bother to move the one that was set up under the dogwalk, so she really had several choices.

Chances Analysis - March 13, 2011

Belle, Dusty and I went to the Quad Cities for a NADAC trial this weekend.  Sunday's Chances course turned out to be one Belle and I had run unsuccessfully last June.  (I only know that we ran it before because I checked my records.  Believe me, a week after I run a course, it's wiped from my memory.  Sometimes, it's wiped from my memory while I'm running it ;-)

Handler Lines: Elite-Green; Open-Black; Novice-Red

At all levels, getting the dog to the first hoop was a major challenge.  If the handler failed to face the dog's path from the tunnel exit to that first hoop, the dog would exit the tunnel and come toward the handler.

In open and novice, another major challenge was getting the dog to hoop #7.  Given the path and momentum of the dog coming out of the tunnel, this is really more of a training issue.  A step or two toward that hoop might have helped in some cases, but for the most part it was a question of the dog just not being comfortable that far away from the handler when it came out of the tunnel.  (Notice that with Dusty, David does not have to step forward to get Dusty out to the hoop.  Stepping forward might have even pushed Mr. D around the hoop.)

To gain that step or two, most of us had to step back while the dog is in the tunnel.  On yesterday's run, I stepped back just a nanosecond too soon and pulled Belle out of the tunnel.  Luckily, she hadn't gotten all four paws into it so it didn't count as a failure to perform.  On the June run I handled that section okay, but then failed to indicate the turn from #7 to #8.

To finish the course, the handler had to give a body cue to indicate the A-frame was the obstacle to take.  On yesterday's run, my cue was a little over-stated, but it got the job done. 

Chances Are - Part Two

This was a Chances course we ran on Sunday, August 28, 2010, at the Quad Cities Dog Center.  Don Cuda was the judge.

The opening is pretty straightforward and getting your dog to the #6 tunnel is a piece of cake provided, 1) your dog is comfortable moving away from you, and 2) you pace yourself and don't have to stop moving toward the back wall as your dog exits the #3 tunnel because you've come to the distance line.  Running with your dog or just taking a short lead out, will help you with the second consideration.

The next challenge comes when you have to send your dog away from you to the #11 tunnel.  Your dog has to be confident enough to keep going, and you have to pace yourself so that you don't have to abruptly stop and do a balancing act on the distance line.  Flailing your arms while you try to avoid stepping over the line brings your dog into handler focus big time.  

Given the way the distance line is set, you probably will have to stop before your dog reaches the tunnel.  In addition to working with Belle so that she became comfortable working further and further away from me, I also found it useful to train her to move away from me with a big arm motion and relatively little or no forward body motion.  It really helped to increase her willingness to drive away from me, and it also comes in handy when I mess up and find I have run out of real estate in Chances.

In the video, you will see that I made an effort to move back from the line while Belle was in the #11 tunnel, but I quickly ran out of real estate when she exited.  I relied on the big arm and a wide stance to put pressure on her line and get her to the correct jump.  Look at the course map way and notice how the distance line is angling from #11-#13.  You'd have to back up all the way to the 82-85 foot line while your dog is in the tunnel if you want to continue moving toward the back wall while your dog is going from the tunnel to #12.  Even then if you move too quickly, you may find yourself up against the distance line.

The final challenge is the dogwalk/tunnel discrimination.  I always find it much easier to pressure my dog to the outer obstacle.  Some people can achieve the inner obstacle with just a shoulder pull.  Me and mine, not so much.  I opted to face the back wall and bring Belle into sharp handler focus while I moved backwards toward the front of the ring.

What absolutely will not work in this situation is turning toward or looking in the direction of the left wall, as this puts pressure on the dog to move away from you.  An independent dogwalk is not an absolute necessity since the distance line comes in to the end of the dogwalk, but it certainly can't hurt.